Food product with filling

ABSTRACT

The bulk density of food products with a center fill mat can be reduced by expanding the food strands making up the center fill mat. A method for producing food products with fillings having low bulk density includes preparing the food strands by passing dough through small holes, and enclosing the food strands by a first layer and a second layer.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to food products, and moreparticularly to a method of preparing food products with fibrousfillings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Breakfast cereals typically are made from various types of cerealgrains. Since cereal grains are known to contain numerous nutrients thatare important for promoting good health, they have long been a staplepart of our diet. To make breakfast cereals interesting to eat, foodmanufacturers have produced them in numerous flavors and textures. Somebreakfast cereal products include a filling that may impart a differentflavor and/or texture than the encasement. Typically, such cerealproducts include a cereal shell containing shredded cereal as thefilling.

Conventional techniques for forming the filling include pressing doughpellets through a pair of counter rotating shredding rolls. One roll isgrooved while the other one is smooth. As the dough pellets pass throughthe rotating rolls, the pellets are shredded to form cereal shreds.However, conventional techniques forming cereal shreds have resulted inthe rolls having a high wear rate. This requires the rolls to befrequently replaced, thereby increasing operating costs.

From the above discussion, it is desirable to provide an improved cerealwith filling that, among other things, reduces operating cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a food product having a filling. Thefood product can be a cereal product. The food product typically has alower bulk density than conventional food products. In one aspect of theinvention, a method is disclosed which produces the food product bypreparing first and second layers for forming the outer shell of thefood product, preparing food strands by passing dough through smallholes, depositing the food strands on the first layer to form acenter-fill mat thereon, and covering the first layer and thecenter-fill mat with the second layer to form the food product. The foodstrands can be expanded prior to being deposited on the first layer toform a food product having low bulk density.

In another aspect, a system is disclosed for producing the food producthaving a filling. The system comprises first and second sheet formingunits for forming first sheets and second sheets, a strand forming unitfor forming strands by passing dough through small holes and depositingthe strands randomly on the first sheet to form the center-fill matthereon. The first sheet can be conveyed below the strand forming unitby a conveyor belt.

These and other objects, along with advantages and features of thepresent invention herein disclosed, will become apparent throughreference to the following description and the accompanying drawings.Furthermore, it is to be understood that the features of the variousembodiments described herein are not mutually exclusive and can exist invarious combinations and permutations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the sameparts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed uponillustrating the principles of the invention. In the followingdescription, various embodiments of the present invention are describedwith reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show a cross-sectional view and a top viewrespectively of a food product with a center-fill in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a process of forming a food product in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a strand forming system for forming food strands inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 4 a-b show planar view and cross-sectional view respectively of aspinneret in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 shows a system for forming a food product in one embodiment ofthe invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to food products with a filling. In oneembodiment, the food product comprises a cereal product having a centerfilling. Other types of food products with fillings are alsocontemplated and within the scope of the invention. FIGS. 1 a-b showcross-sectional and top views of a center-filled cereal product orbiscuit 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Thecereal product includes a filling 160 encased within an encasement orouter shell 110.

The outer shell, in one embodiment, comprises cereal. Various types ofcereal flour can be used to form the outer shell. For example, the outershell can be formed from oat, wheat, maize, rice, barley, millet,sorghum (milo), rye, triticale, teff, wild rice, spelt, buckwheat,amaranth, quinoa, kañiwa, cockscomb, or combinations thereof. Typically,the outer shell comprises oat, wheat, corn, and rice. Other types ofgrains or non-cereal material can also be useful to form the outershell. Additional ingredients may also be added, such as flavoringagents, coloring agents, sweeteners, salt, food stabilizers, as well asvitamins and minerals. For example, sugar, calcium carbonate, disodiumphosphate, reduced iron, niacinamide, zinc oxide, BHT, thiaminmononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid, andyellow coloring (#5 and #6) are added to the flour to form the outershell.

The outer shell comprises a rectangular shape, as shown in FIG. 1 b. Theouter shell, in one embodiment, comprises a web design. Such web typedesign, for example, may be similar to Life® cereal from The Quaker OatsCompany. Providing an outer shell having other shapes, designs, orconfigurations is contemplated and within scope of invention. Forexample, the outer shell can comprise other shapes such as polygonalshapes like triangles, pentagons or hexagons. Preferably, the shapes ofthe shell are selected to minimize waste of material by providing goodfit between adjacent pieces. In one embodiment, the outer shell isformed by two layers, creating a center space, void 115, (as shown inFIG. 1 a) that contains the filling material. Typical dimensions for thecereal biscuit are about 19 mm (0.75 inches) wide and about 21 mm (0.81inches) long. Other dimensions are contemplated and within the scope ofinvention.

As shown, the center filling includes shreds or strands, forming acenter-fill mat. The cereal strands can include the same or similaringredients as that of the outer shell. Adding or using otheringredients can also be useful for forming the strands. The strands aredisposed within the center space. Typically, the strands are disposedrandomly within the center space to reduce the bulk density of theproduct. Additional ingredients, such as coarse or sanding sugar,colored bits, fruit pieces and nut pieces, can be added onto thecenter-fill mat. The filling can provide a different flavor, texture,color or a combination thereof to make the cereal more desirable toconsume.

In one embodiment, the strands comprise expanded strands. The strandsare expanded prior to being disposed within the center space. This canbe accomplished by, for example, passing dough through small holes suchthat the release in pressure causes liquid water in the dough to becomesteam, creating voids in the dough and forming expanded strands. Theexpanded strands can then be disposed on one of the outer shell layerbefore being covered by the other outer shell forming the cerealbiscuit. Providing expanded strands in the center space produces acereal biscuit with a lower bulk density than conventional cerealbiscuits. The bulk density of a cereal biscuit can be reduced by about5-25% and preferably about 10-20%. For example, conventional cerealbiscuits which typically have a bulk density of about 180 grams/litercan be reduced to about 160 grams/liter. Reducing the bulk density ofthe cereal biscuit by other amounts is contemplated and within scope ofinvention. By lowering the bulk density, the volume of the product canbe maintained while reducing its weight. This advantageously reduces theamount of raw materials required, which translates to lower costs andhigher profits for the manufacturer.

FIG. 2 describes a process 201 for manufacturing a center-filled cerealproduct in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.Preprocessing commences at step 230. The preprocessing includespreparing the outer shell sheets or layers at step 233. The outer shellsheets form, for example, the encasement of a cereal biscuit.

The outer shell layers, in one embodiment, are formed from flour ofcereal grains, such as oat, wheat, maize, rice, barley, millet, sorghum(milo), rye, triticale, teff, wild rice, spelt, buckwheat, amaranth,quinoa, kañiwa, cockscomb or a combination thereof. Other types ofgrains or non-cereal ingredients are contemplated and within scope ofinvention to form the outer shell. Additional ingredients may also beadded, such as flavoring agents, coloring agents, sweeteners, salt, foodstabilizers, as well as vitamins and minerals. In one embodiment, sugar,calcium carbonate, disodium phosphate, reduced iron, niacinamide, zincoxide, BHT, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin,folic acid, and yellow coloring (#5 and #6) are added to the flour.Providing other types of ingredients or additional ingredients to theflour is contemplated and within the scope of invention.

The ingredients are mixed to form dough and cooked. Various techniquescan be used to mix and cook the dough. For example, the mixing andcooking can be performed in an integrated continuous process using anextruder. Other techniques that are well-known in the art can also beused. In one embodiment, an extruder is used to mix the ingredients andcook the dough.

Dough sheets are formed from the cooked dough. In one embodiment, twodough sheets are formed, one serving as the bottom half with the otherserving as the top half of the cereal biscuit. Various conventionalprocesses that are well-known in the art can be used to prepare thedough sheets. For example, sheeting rolls can be used to form continuousdough sheets. In one embodiment, the dough sheets comprise a web-likedesign or structure. Other types of design may also be useful such asV-shaped ripples or smooth structure, depending on whether smooth orcorrugated sheeting rolls are used. Other techniques can also be used toform dough sheets from the dough.

The preprocessing also includes preparing the filling or center-fill matfor the cereal biscuit at step 234. In one embodiment, the center-fillmat comprises cereal strands. The cereal strands can be formed from thesame or similar ingredients as the outer shell. Providing cereal strandsformed from different or additional ingredients is also useful. In oneembodiment, the ingredients of the strands include flavoring agents,coloring agents, sweeteners, salt, food stabilizers, vitamins, mineralsor combinations thereof. Providing other types of ingredients oradditional ingredients to the flour is contemplated and within the scopeof invention.

The ingredients are mixed to form dough and cooked. Various conventionaltechniques can be used to mix and cook the dough used for the filling.After the dough is cooked, it is processed to form cereal strands. Inone embodiment, the dough is processed to form expanded cereal strands.The processing to form strands includes, in one embodiment, pumping thedough through a die having a plurality of small holes to form strands. Aspin pack having a plurality of dies through which the dough is pumpedcan be used.

The weight, texture, bulk density and durability of the center fill matcan be controlled by various parameters. These parameters include, butare not limited to, the size and shape of the die holes, the number ofholes on the die, and the layout of the holes. The shape of the holescan be polygonal or curved. In one embodiment, the holes are circular inshape and about 0.02 inches in diameter. Other hole shapes or sizes arecontemplated and within the scope of invention. For example, a curvedshape such as a “S” shaped hole will produce hollow strands, whichfurther reduces the bulk density of the center fill mat. The number ofholes on the die, for example, is about 426. Providing other numbers ofholes is contemplated and within the scope of invention. Generally,providing a higher number of holes will increase the bulk density.

To ensure that most of the dough material passes through the holes ofthe die, the ingredients of the dough should be sufficiently fine. Forexample, the particle size of the ingredients should be smaller than theholes in the die. In one embodiment, the particle size is about 10% toabout 20% smaller than the holes in the die. Typically, the averageparticle size of the dough ingredients is about 0.016 inches to about0.020 inches for a die having orifices of about 0.020 inches to about0.025 inches wide. A filter can be provided to remove undesirably largeparticles before the dough ingredients are mixed or passed through thedie. The viscosity of the dough is typically low enough to ensure thedough passes through the die holes easily without excessive pressure.The desired viscosity can be achieved by adjusting, for example, themoisture level and temperature. Generally, higher moisture content andhigher temperatures will result in lower viscosity. The moisture, forexample, is about 30% to about 40%. Preferably, the moisture content isabout 34% to about 35%.

In one embodiment, the dough is maintained at a sufficiently hightemperature or above a threshold temperature prior to passing throughthe die to result in expanded strands. The threshold temperature isabove the boiling point of water. The threshold temperature, forexample, is about 108° C. (225° F.). Other threshold temperatures abovethe boiling point of water are also useful. Typically, the dough isheated during cooking. Downstream equipment can be heated to maintaindough temperature, reducing or eliminating heat loss prior to passingthrough the die holes. Heating, for example, can be achieved usingelectric heaters or steam.

Pressure is applied to the dough to cause it to pass through the holesin the die. In one embodiment, expanded strands are formed. As the doughexits the holes, the pressure drops, causing liquid water in the doughto become steam. The steam forms cells or bubbles within the dough,expanding the volume of the resulting strands. Typically, the strandsare expanded to about 2 to 3 times their original volume. Other degreesof expansion are also useful. The degree of expansion is generallydependant on the temperature and moisture content of the dough. Greaterexpansion is achieved by increasing the temperature and moisture contentof the dough.

In an alternative embodiment, the strands are unexpanded. To formunexpanded strands, the dough is cooled below the boiling point of water<100° C. (<212° F.) prior to passing it through the die. Typically, thedough is cooled to about 88° C. to 94° C. (190° F. to 200° F.).

With the use of expanded strands in accordance with the invention, acenter-fill mat that has greater loft than conventional center-fill matscan be produced, which requires fewer strands to fill a given volume.This results in a cereal biscuit that is less dense, providing a lightertexture. Additionally, a less dense food product may also facilitateweight control or dieting as there would be fewer calories consumed fora given volume. Furthermore, by requiring fewer strands to fill the samevolume, the amount of raw materials is reduced, hence reducingproduction costs and advantageously increasing profits for themanufacturer.

At step 240, the intermediate products of preprocessing are processed toform the center-filled product. In one embodiment, processing comprisesdepositing the strands onto a first outer shell sheet to form thecenter-fill mat. After the center-fill mat is formed on the first outershell sheet, the second outer shell sheet is added on top of thecenter-fill mat. This forms a food product with filling. Additionalingredients, such as coarse sugar, can be added onto the center-fill matprior to covering it with the second outer shell. Other types ofingredients can also be added.

The process parameters, such as the velocity of the conveyor belt anddough extrusion can be selected to produce the center-fill mat with thedesired characteristics. In one embodiment, the velocity of strandsextruded from the die is sufficiently faster than the velocity of theconveyor belt to produce a center-fill mat with the desired height. Asthe strands fall onto the slower moving conveyor belt, they entanglewith one another as they fall, resulting in a mat with more voids andlower bulk density. In one embodiment, the velocity of the strandsexiting the die is about 5 to about 15 times faster than the velocity ofthe belt. Other velocities are also useful, depending on the desireddimensions of the center-fill mat.

The processed intermediate products are post-processed at step 250.Post-processing comprises, for example, scoring the intermediateproducts to form cereal biscuits. Post processing can also include, forexample, baking or toasting the cereal pieces. Typically, the cerealpieces are toasted at a temperature of about 204° C. to about 315° C.(400° F. to about 600° F.). After toasting, the cereal biscuits arecooled and packaged.

FIG. 3 shows a strand forming system 303 for forming food strands inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention. The system includes adough cooker or extruder 373 coupled to a spin pack 380. The two unitsare coupled to each other via a coupler 378. The coupler, for example,comprises an insulated pipe for passing materials from the cooker 373 tothe spin pack 380. Typically, the pipe is about 19 mm to about 38 mm(0.75 to about 1.5 inches) in diameter. Providing a coupler having othersizes are contemplated and within the scope of invention. In oneembodiment, a first pump 390 located at the discharge of the cookerpushes the dough through the coupler 378 to the spin pack 380. The pumpcan be a gear pump or any conventional pump known in the art.

The cooker 373 mixes and cooks the ingredients to form dough. The doughis used to form strands in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention. The dough can also be used to form the outer shell of theproduct. In such an embodiment, an additional coupler (not shown) isprovided to convey the dough to, for example, counter-rotating rolls toform the lower and upper sheets.

The dough from the cooker is conveyed through the coupler 378 to thespin pack 380. In one embodiment, the spin pack 380 includes afiltration cavity 383 and a spinneret or die plate 385. The filtrationcavity is designed to remove particles that will not pass through thespinneret. The dough exiting the coupler is drawn into a second pump 385that controls the flow of the dough through the spinneret. The secondpump pushes the dough into the filtration cavity. The pressure issufficient to extrude the dough from the die at a desired velocity. Inone embodiment, the pressure is sufficient to extrude the dough to forma center-fill mat of the desired characteristics on the dough sheet.

In one embodiment, the spin pack further comprises an outer jacket. Theouter jacket maintains thermal uniformity of the dough in the spin pack.Maintaining thermal uniformity ensures uniform flow through thespinneret. The jacket is typically electrically heated with, forexample, calrod heating elements. Alternatively, the jacket could beheated with steam. Other types of heating methods contemplated andwithin the scope of invention.

FIGS. 4 a-b show the planar and cross-sectional views respectively of aspinneret 385 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Thespinneret has a plurality of holes 405, as shown in FIG. 4 a. Providinga die sub-unit with a plurality of dies is contemplated and within thescope of invention. The holes, for example, are circular and have adiameter of about 5 mm (0.20 inches). Other geometric shapes or sizesare contemplated and within the scope of invention. Typically, thespinneret is rectangular. Other shapes are contemplated and within thescope of invention. The die's length L is typically slightly less thanthe width of a laydown belt (or conveyor) conveying the bottom sheetbeneath the spinneret. The width W of the die depends upon the number ofholes and their optimum spacing, D. The number of holes is related tothe scale of the equipment. For example, L can be about 48 cm (19inches), and W can be about 9 cm (3.5 inches), and the spinneret cancontain about 426 holes. Other die sizes and number of holes arecontemplated and within the scope of invention. The holes can bearranged in a desired pattern, such as a staggered, half-staggered, or anon-staggered pattern.

FIG. 4 b shows the cross-sectional view of a spinneret, in accordancewith one embodiment. The spinneret comprises an upper portion 455 and alower portion 465. The upper portion comprises a plurality ofcountersinks 470 and the lower portion comprises a plurality of holes405. The countersinks and holes are coupled by a capillary 475. Thedough enters the spinneret through the countersink 470, passes throughthe capillary 475, and exits the spinneret though the hole 405. Thediameter (d1) of the countersink is typically larger than the diameter(d2) of the capillary, and the diameter of the capillary is typicallylarger than the diameter (d3) of the hole. In one embodiment, d1 isabout 11 mm (0.44 inches), d2 is about 4 mm (0.15 inches) and d3 isabout 0.5 mm (0.02 inches). The height (H) of the hole is, for example,about 1.2 mm (0.05 inches). Other dimensions are contemplated and withinthe scope of invention.

FIG. 5 shows a system 501 for manufacturing a center-filled cerealproduct in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The systemcomprises a first sheet forming unit 510, a strand forming unit 520, asecond sheet forming unit 530, a scoring unit 540 and a conveyor belt550.

The first sheet forming unit 510 forms a first continuous sheet of dough515. The first sheet forming unit includes in one embodiment, a pair ofcounter-rotating webbed rolls. Other types of sheet forming means arecontemplated and within the scope of invention. The first sheet isdeposited on the conveyor belt 550, which conveys the sheet under thestrand forming unit 520. The strand forming unit forms strands 525 inaccordance with the present invention. The strand forming unit includes,for example, the embodiment shown in FIG. 3. The velocity of strandsextruded from the strand forming unit is typically faster than thevelocity of the conveyor belt to produce strands that are entangled witheach other as they fall into overlapping piles 528 on the first sheet.In one embodiment, the velocity of the strands exiting the die is about5 to about 15 times faster than the velocity of the belt. Othervelocities are contemplated and within the scope of invention, dependingon the desired dimensions of the center-fill mat.

The second sheet forming unit 530 forms a second continuous sheet ofdough 535. The second sheet forming unit comprises, in one embodiment, apair of counter-rotating webbed rolls. Other types of sheet formingmeans are contemplated and within the scope of invention. The secondsheet is deposited on top of the first sheet on the conveyor belt,enclosing the strands. The resulting intermediate product is then passedthrough a scoring unit 540 that scores or crimps a pattern onto theintermediate product. The scoring unit includes, for example, a pair ofcounter-rotating scoring rolls, patterned to score the desired patternonto the continuous sheets. Other types of scoring means arecontemplated and within the scope of invention. The sheets are thenbaked and broken into individual pieces 545 along the scored lines.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingform the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The foregoingembodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respectsillustrative rather than limiting the invention described herein. Scopeof the invention is thus indicated by the appended claims, rather thanby the foregoing description, and all changes that come within themeaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to beembraced therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for producing a food product comprising:preparing first and second layers for an outer shell of the foodproduct; preparing a dough; preparing a plurality of food strands forforming a center-fill mat for the food product; wherein the food strandsare formed by passing the dough through small holes; depositing the foodstrands randomly on the first layer, entangling with one another as theplurality of food strands fall to form the center-fill mat thereon;covering the first layer and the center-fill mat with the second layerto form an intermediate product; and post-processing the intermediateproduct to form the food product having a filling, wherein the foodproduct comprises a lower bulk density than the same food product inwhich the filling dough comprises cereal shreds.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein the food strands comprise cereal.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the food strands further comprise at least one of flavoringagents, coloring agents, sweeteners, salt, food stabilizers, vitamins,minerals and combinations thereof.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein theholes are circular.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the holescomprises a diameter of about 0.02 inches.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the holes are “S” shaped.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thedough comprises a moisture content of about 30% to about 40%.
 8. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the moisture content is about 34% to about35%.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of preparing the foodstrands comprises expanding the food strands prior to depositing thefood strands on the first layer.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein thestep of preparing the dough comprises maintaining the dough at atemperature above a threshold temperature.
 11. The method of claim 10,wherein the threshold temperature is about the boiling point of water.12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of passing the doughthrough small holes comprises applying pressure to cause the dough topass through the holes and expand.
 13. The method of claim 1, whereinthe step of preparing first and second layers comprises forming firstand second continuous dough sheets.
 14. The method of claim 13, whereinthe step of forming first and second continuous dough sheets comprisespassing dough between sheeting rolls.
 15. The method of claim 1, whereinthe post-processing step comprises scoring the intermediate product toform a plurality of food products having fillings.
 16. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising the step of conveying the first layer as thefood strands are deposited on the first layer.
 17. The method of claim16, wherein a velocity of the dough passing through small holes isfaster than a velocity of the conveying.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein the velocity of the dough passing through small holes is about 5to about 15 times faster than the velocity of the conveying.